Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-07-09
CHAPTER XIX.
HANS coErzEE COMES TO PRETORIA

HAN coErzEE COMES TO PRETORIA.
When once he had taken the turn, Johns
recovery was rapid. Naturally Of q vigorous
constitution when the artery had fairly
united he soon made up for the great loss of
blood which he had undergone, and a little
more than a month from the date Of his
wound was, physically, almost us good a man
as ever.
Ono m%orning-it was tue Goth Of March
jess and he were sitting in The Palatial"
garden. John was lying in a long cane deck
chair that jess had borrowed or stolen out of
one of tho deserted houses, and smoking u
pipe.
They sat i'll silence; John pulling away at
his pipe, and jess, her work-one Of his socks
lying idly upon her knees, with her hands
clasped over it and her eyes fixed upon tho
lights and shadows that played with broad
fingers upon the wooded slopes beyond.
John finished his pipe, and, although she
did not know it, was watching her face,
which, now that she was q her guard, was
no longer impassivc, but seemed to mirror
the tender and glorious hope that was float
ing through her mind. Her lips wcro slightly
| parted, and her wide Dyes were full Of u soft,
strange light, while ON tho whole %counten-
ancc was u look Of eager thought and spiritu-
allied desire such rs he had known portrayed
i'll ancient masterpieces upon tho face of tho
virgin mother. jess was not, except as re-
| CARDS her eyes and hair, even q good looking
person. But at that moment John thought
that her face was touched with a divincr
beauty than he hnd yet seen on the face Of
woman. 1t thrilled him. and appealed to him,
not as Bessie's beauty had appealed, but to
that other side of his nature, of which Jess
aNne could turn the key. Her face was more
like the face Of u spirit thnn a human beings.
and it almost frightened him to sec it.
Jess" he said at last, "what are you think.
ing off"
She started, and her face resumed its
normal air. 1t was rs though Il mask had
been suddenly set upon it.
"Why do you askF' sl,c said.
Because l want to know. | never saw
you look like that before"
She laughed n little.
"You would think mo foolish if l told YOU
what l was thinking about. Never mind, it
has gone wherever thoughts 20. l will tell
you what l am thinking about now, which
is-thnt it is about time we got out of this
place. My uncle and Bessie will be half dis.
tracted."
"Wc'vo had more than two months OF it
now. The relieving column can't DO fur off,"
suggested John; for these foolish people in
Pretoria laboreu under u firm belief that one
fine morning they would DO gratificd with
tho sight Of tho light dancing down u long
limo OF British bayonets, and of Beers evapor-
ating i'll every direction like storm clouds bo-
fore tho sun.
jess shook her head. She was beginning
to lose faith in relieving columns that never
came.
"lf We don't help ourselves, my opinion is
that We may stop here till wo arc starved
out, which VIC pretty well are. However, it's
no uso talking about 1t, so I'm Off to get our
r%ations. Let's see, have you got everything
you want"
Everything, thanks"
"Woll, then, mind you stop quiet till I como
back"
"Wly," laughed John, II nm as strong us a
horse"
"Possibly; but that is what the doctor said,
you know. Goodbye" And jess took her
big basket and started on what John used to
feebly call her irrational undertaking."
Sho had not got fifty PAGES from tho door
before she suddenly caught sight Of u familiar
form seated Oh u familiar pony. Tho form
was fat and jovinl looking, and the pony was
small but also fat. 1t was Hans COetzee-
none other!
Jess could hardly believe her eyes. Old
Hans in Pretoria! What could it mean?
"Om Coetzee! ON Coetzcc!" she called, as
he came ambling past her, evidently making
for the Heidelberg road.
The old Boer pulled up his pony, and gazed
around him in a mystifled way.
"Here, On CoetZcc! Herc!"
"Allemachter" he said, Jerking his pony
round. ats you, Missile Jess, is 1t? Now
who would have thought of seeing you here's"
"Who would have thought Of seeing you
EereN she answered.
eyes, yes; it seems strange; dare say that
it seems strange. But l am a messenger Of
peace, like Uncle Noahs dove in the ark, you
know. Tho fact is" and he glanced round to
SEQ If anybody were listening, II have been
sent by the government to arrange about un
exchange Of prisoners"
"Tho government! What government
what government Why, the triumvirate,
Of c~ourso-whom may the Lord bless and
prosper rs he did Jonah when he walked on
the wall Of the city"
'Joshua, when he walked round tho wall of
the city," suggested Jess. "Jonnh walked
down the whales throat"
"Ah! to DO sure, so he did, and blew O
trumpet inside. / remember now; though 1
am sure ! o know how no did 1t. The
fact is that our glorious victories have quite
confused me. All! what a thing it is to be
a patriot! The dear Lord makes strong tho
arm OF the patriot, and takes care that be hits
his man well in the middle"
"You have turned wonderfully patriotic oil
of a sudden, ON Coetzee," said Jess, tartIy.
"Yes, missile, yes; l am q patriot to tho
bone Of my back. l hate the English govern
ment; d-n the English government! Let us
have our land back and our volksraad. AL
mighty! l saw who was In the right at
Laing's Mex there. All, those poor rooibaat-
jes! l shot four Of them myself; two as they
came up and two rs they ran AWAY, and tho
last one went head over heels like q buck.
Poor man! l cried for him afterward. did
not like going to fight at all, but Frank Null
Ter sent to no and said that if l did not 20 he
would have me shot. All, no is a devil of q
man, that Frank Muller! So l went, and
when l saw how the dear Lord had put it into
the heart Of the English general to be q bigger
fool even that day than he is every day, and
to try and drive us out Of Laing's Nek with
a thousand of his poor rooibaatjes, then, l
tell you. I saw where the right lay, and l
said, 'D-n the English government What
is the English government doing herer and
after 1ngogo I said it again"
"Never mind all that, On Coetzec," broke
in jess. II have heard you tell q different
tale before, and perhaps you will again. Tell
me, how are my uncle and my sisteri Are
they at the farmN
CONTINUED
Drunkenness or the Liquor Habit Positively
Cured BY administering DR.. Haines'
Golden Specific.